I had a mini reading slump recently and haven't been very active on here. Making this post kind of feels like coming back to class as a kid after being gone for a while. My apologies, it's not personal I promise. Nothing on my shelf sounded interesting to me, at all. I thought I wanted to read Outlander (still do) and struggled to just pick it up. Then I thought maybe I'll read Razorblade Tears, same thing. I looked through all of the books I owned and there's a lot I really want to read, but just starting was causing paralysis. I think I was just really stressed with work, and tired, and all I could manage was figuring how to nourish my fiancé and I for the night and then lay down and zone out to whatever background noise I chose for the evening. Then this Saturday I had a really crappy moment with a loved one, and I was really upset, so my partner sent me on a book retail therapy to cheer me up, and I got two new books. One I started, The Book of Azrael. It's good so far, I'm not very far in, I'm still trying to pull myself out of my slump. I really like that the FMC is not the typical hero, but actually more like an anti-hero. Does bad things, for a good cause. I really like that trope. This just felt like a book that was similar to other comfort reads, one that I knew I'd likely enjoy, I knew what to expect while still getting those fun twists and turns, no one else in my face-to-face life has read it so I can take my time with it.

I've missed my PB community, I've missed updating and chatting and seeing my streak (which I lost, I'm very sad about it). Is anyone else feeling that spring stress? Or am I just an anomaly here?

I'm happy to be back, stay creepy lovelies! Crow

So today I wrote my finals in history and one of the questions was in which of the following countries did Britian once have a Colony. Australia was one of the answers. I was clueless until I remebered Babel, and all the oh no we will be sent to Australia talk. Has reading ever benefitted you in real life?

I was debating on tracking my reading on here, but I love the forums and it feels like I have someone to talk to about what I'm reading. But I've seen how split reviews seem here for the book, which was mostly why I was debating on tracking it. But I started reading this in ebook format and was liking it enough to swap to a physical copy so I remembered to read it. I struggle to remember I have ebooks, so I like having physical copies. So far I'm enjoying the book. It does feel like I'm jumping into a story in the middle of a series even though it's book one, but other than that I like the characters so far and the story. It does feel like things are moving quickly already though.

I had a mini reading slump recently and haven't been very active on here. Making this post kind of feels like coming back to class as a kid after being gone for a while. My apologies, it's not personal I promise. Nothing on my shelf sounded interesting to me, at all. I thought I wanted to read Outlander (still do) and struggled to just pick it up. Then I thought maybe I'll read Razorblade Tears, same thing. I looked through all of the books I owned and there's a lot I really want to read, but just starting was causing paralysis. I think I was just really stressed with work, and tired, and all I could manage was figuring how to nourish my fiancé and I for the night and then lay down and zone out to whatever background noise I chose for the evening. Then this Saturday I had a really crappy moment with a loved one, and I was really upset, so my partner sent me on a book retail therapy to cheer me up, and I got two new books. One I started, The Book of Azrael. It's good so far, I'm not very far in, I'm still trying to pull myself out of my slump. I really like that the FMC is not the typical hero, but actually more like an anti-hero. Does bad things, for a good cause. I really like that trope. This just felt like a book that was similar to other comfort reads, one that I knew I'd likely enjoy, I knew what to expect while still getting those fun twists and turns, no one else in my face-to-face life has read it so I can take my time with it.

I've missed my PB community, I've missed updating and chatting and seeing my streak (which I lost, I'm very sad about it). Is anyone else feeling that spring stress? Or am I just an anomaly here?

I'm happy to be back, stay creepy lovelies! Crow

Have you ever read a dictionary cover to cover? Or an encyclopedia? A thesaurus? A car manual? A very niche magazine about tractor engines?

My mum tried to get me to read the dictionary cover to cover when I was a child, but I only got to the end of c before getting too bored. I did read an encyclopedia of the human body, though.

On flights I read the evacuation and emergency pamphlets cover to cover every time 🫡

Before using a new piece of equipment/machinery I'll literally read the manual cover to cover like a book before touching anything 😂

my current reads have pretty quiet (in fact, silent) forums, so I'm reminiscing about other forums I've been in and enjoyed!

I actually found quite a few friends from the forums for The Idiot (Dostoevsky) and Vilette (Brontë) 💕 love bonding over pain and absolutely devastating books

it's also interesting how a popular forum will go through ups and downs in activity! not too long ago, I though Pride and Prejudice was bustling, but it's quieted down.

I'm curious, which forums do you remember being fun? 👀